Planning and running events can be very stressful and sometimes you don’t even know where to start. As a previous events manager, I think there are four main points to focus on for a successful and stress-free event. This post will offer a simple guide on how to prepare and manage your event with some top tips thrown in.
Clarity of purpose. Defining the purpose of your events is essential. Organising events does take time and money so to really create an event that will give you the outcome you are aiming for, it is important to understand why you’re doing it. Is it a social or a learning event? As a strategic planning organisation we recently reviewed our own event schedule for next year, looking at what our audiences really want to get out of our events. We did this by answering three simple questions:
- Who is the audience?
- What is the purpose of each event?
- What will attract our audience to our event?
Find the right suppliers and don’t forget to negotiate. Once you are clear on why you are doing the event, you need to think about what you want it to look like. This is when you decide on the type of venue you want, what the content will be and whether you are going to provide catering or not. Once that’s all clear, you need to put all the information into a brief for suppliers. The more specific you are when briefing suppliers, the more accurate the quotes will be. This will allow you to make a smart decision when selecting the right supplier for your budget. When you have decided who you want to work with, remember that costs and contracts are always negotiable!
Managing a hiccup free event. Every event manager wants to have a hiccup free event. Here are some top tips of how to make that happen:
- Think about the flow of your guests. What they will do from arrival until they leave.
- Make sure all staff know their roles, e.g. registrations desk, usher, speakers’ contact, etc. – a simple staffing grid gets that done!
- Have a meeting with all suppliers on the week running up to the event.
- Make a list of everything you need with you on the day! This goes from contact numbers for speakers and suppliers to pens for guests and registrations forms.
Getting the most out of your event. Getting the most out of your event is crucial which is why collecting evaluation data is a must and doesn’t have to be complicated. If it is a one-off event you can use this information to decide whether it is worth organising another one and to see if you met the purpose you set. Alternatively, if it is a repeated event, you can use the evaluation data to learn where the areas of improvement are. The other key thing to remember is that after an event people are engaged and feeling positive about your organisation. Don’t forget to follow up within a couple of days to share highlights, thank people and reiterate your key purpose and message.
At Pilotlight we run ten different events a year and, like many small charities, we do this with our existing resources rather than having a dedicated member of staff focusing on events. We have an events team of four staff, including our Chief Executive and people from different areas. This helps us keep all the bases covered.
We are currently working on a detailed events manual to help organisations run smooth, successful events. We’ll release it in the next couple of days, so watch this space!